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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Inside Look at Our Political System, April 11, 2010
This review is from: What Sex Is a Republican?: Stories from the Front Lines in American Politics and How You Can Change the Way Things Are (Paperback)
Terri McCormick gives us a detailed inside look at the workings of politics at the state and national level. Unfortunately, the picture is not pretty. Politics is a rough and at times very dirty business. It is not governed by ideals and what is best for the constituents. All too often our legislation is determined by special interest groups who control or have an undue influence on our legislators. While I think everyone has some idea about the inner workings of the political machines, this book goes pretty deep to expose the way things really work. The approach of the book is to track Terri McCormick journey as a Wisconsin State Legislator and her run for national office. In my opinion, the book loses some of its punch because she tries to cover too much ground. I believe there are three themes in the book. The first is her personal journey. While this is interesting and gives a detail look at the workings of the Wisconsin State Legislature, there is a little too much detail that is not of significant interest to those living outside the area. The second theme of the book is the problems plaguing both political parties. The career politicians are more focused on their own standing and have lost touch with the citizens who elected them. There is a third theme, how to run a political campaign. While there is some valuable information in that section, the information will be of little interest to most readers. Terri is very sincere in trying to alarm the public about the current sorry state of our political system. However I believe her message would have been much more successful if she had narrowed her focus and omitted a lot of the material that was specific to her and her experience in the Wisconsin Legislature. I found the title intriguing, but as she is quick to point out, there is no connection between the title and the content of the book. The major political parties are both plagued by leaders who are more concerned with their own agenda than that of the people. Terri McCormick throughout the book advocates a strong press as a check on the politicians. While in theory this is correct, I believe that too much of the press has their own agenda and reports the news from their own bias. The main message of this book is that "We the People" must take a much more active interest in and control over the political process. We must make the elected people accountable. Unfortunately there seems to be too much voter apathy for people to really do the work necessary to become knowledgeable on the issues and hold the politicians accountable. There is also the entitlement problem. We have become very focused on "What's In It For Me." Too many people are willing to tolerate bad legislation so long as they are getting what they want. A good message but not nearly focused enough in the presentation.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A road map for aspiring populists., April 9, 2010
This review is from: What Sex Is a Republican?: Stories from the Front Lines in American Politics and How You Can Change the Way Things Are (Paperback)
Terri McCormick from Appleton, Wisconsin looks at the world just a bit differently than most politicans do. Terri does not define the political battle currently being waged in this country as merely "Republicans vs Democrats" or "liberals vs. conservatives". Rather, Terri sees the battle for the heart and soul of America as a clash between "elitists' and "populists". I think she is on to something. In the gospel according to Terri, if we are ever going to experience genuine change in the way our nation conducts its affairs it is going to have to emanate from both the voters themselves and from a new breed of political leaders who get into politics for all the right reasons. Leading by example, Terri McCormick has given us the handbook for the type of change that so many Americans seem to be longing for these days. In "What Sex Is A Republican?: Stories from the Front Lines in American Politics and How You Can Change the Way Things Are" Terri McCormick provides her readers with a glimpse into the rather sordid world of state and national politics. Drawing from her experiences in both the private sector and as a Wisconsin State Representative Terri outlines what is wrong with the current system and offers up well-thought out alternatives as well. This is a very thought-provoking book indeed! Like a whole lot of us out here Terri McCormick was fed up with the elitist politicians who seem to dominate the political scene today. You know the type. They simply don't give a damn about what their constituents think and are cocksure that they possess all of the answers. These people rule by imtimidation and often operate in the dark of night. Important decisions are made in back rooms and there is a distinct "pecking order". These so-called "leaders" sit in the front row in state legislatures and in the U.S. Congress and stifle legitimate opposition and concerns. They disdain open debate and those who espouse new ideas. Terri McCormick on the other hand would like to think of herself as the ultimate "populist" politician. Terri simply has no tolerance for back room deals, political backstabbing and power grabs by favored and entrenched politicians. Rather, Terri got involved in the political process because she honestly believed that she had ideas and lots of energy to offer her constituents. Terri would experience a great deal of success in her 6 years in the Wisconsin legislature and was responsible for a number of innovative pieces of legislation. Yet she was never a favorite of the Republican party leadership and at times found herself fighting tooth and nail with the leaders of her own party. When Terri chose to run for Congress in 2006 the Washington political establishment led by the Republican National Committee and the Republican National Congressional Committee decided to inject themselves into a local Congressional race and backed her opponent in the primary. Evidently the powers that be determined that Terri was not the "go along to get along" kind of candidate they were looking for. I certainly believe Terri's version of these events as the very same scenario played itself out in the my home state of Rhode Island in the Republican U.S. Senate primary that took place that very same year. The results were the same in both cases. The candidate backed by the party establishment in the primary lost to the Democrat in the general election. I took away a couple of things from "What Sex Is A Republican?". First and foremost, I found Terry McCormick to be a very impressive individual. She worked very hard at her craft and seemed to understand precisely what the problems were and much more importantly how to fix them. In addition, she explains to her readers in clear and concise language how a bill becomes law in the State of Wisconsin. I found this to be very useful as so many people simply have no clue at how complex and frustrating this process can be. Finally, Terry McCormick pulls no punches when describing the level of sacrifice required to be an honest servant of the people. There simply are not enough hours in the day. Nonetheless, Terri encourages good people to get involved and run for political office. It seems to me that "What Sex Is A Republican?: Stories from the Front Lines in American Politcs and How You Can Change the Way Things Are" would be a great primer for someone contemplating a run for political office. Now more than ever we need good people like Terry McCormick to step forward and serve. Highly recommended!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Republican Populist?, March 29, 2010
This review is from: What Sex Is a Republican?: Stories from the Front Lines in American Politics and How You Can Change the Way Things Are (Paperback)
This book is a mixed bag of the personal recollections of a former politician and continuing activist held together by the theme of populism and grass roots activism. It also attempts to provide some guidance in the related arts of running for political office and building a reform movement. This sort of political memoir is fairly common, but this book is unique in this genre in that it actually contains significant and original ideas on politics and governance. McCormick from all appearances is an idealist who maintains that fast disappearing conviction that the first loyalty of any elective official ought to be to constituents not to party. She is a republican and a conservative, but more in the manner of Thomas Jefferson than Karl Rove. Her political philosophy closer to the center than that of libertarian republican Ron Paul, but she clearly would be comfortable with many of his ideas. Like Paul she believes that the U.S. Constitution is the definitive blueprint to governance in the U.S. rather than a "living document" containing broad and often ambiguous advice. She is a conservative thinker, but not an ideologue. She is a critic of the duopoly (Republican/Democratic) hold on power in the state and national legislatures, the tyranny of party over principal, and the focus of both parties on maintaining power in the hands of the select and keeping the status quo. McCormick's stories of are depressing indeed. It is encouraging however that McCormick, at least in this book, is a strong advocate for integrity on the part of politicians, the media, and most importantly the electorate. She appears a strong advocate for real fiscal responsibility, educational reform, and an engaged electorate. These are positions only the duopoly could argue with.
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